248 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1946 
be worth hunting, and little is really known of its distribution. In 
the North Atlantic it is found as far north as Spitzbergen, and as 
far south as Spain in the east, and the latitude of New York in the 
west. A similar whale occurs in the North Pacific (G. M. Allen, 1916). 
It appears to be a shore-frequenting species, for it is abundant off the 
coasts of Norway. In the Antarctic Lillie (1915) notes that it is 
frequently found south of 65° S. Here it is often seen close to land, 
but it is also seen in open leads in the pack, or near the ice edge, 
sometimes in large numbers and far from land. It appears that at 
least in the Southern Ocean it frequents colder water than any other 
species. There is little information about its seasonal movements, but 
according to Fraser (1937) its occurrence suggests that such move- 
ments do take place. 
(10) Rachianectes glaucus 
The maximum size of the gray whale probably approaches 50 feet. 
It has a number of features, such as the shape of the head and flippers, 
which are intermediate between the right whales and the rorquals. 
It inhabits coastal waters, at least in temperate and tropical latitudes, 
and living specimens have been recorded only in the North Pacific. 
Recently, however, skeletons of this species have been found in the 
Zuyder Zee (Deinse and Junge, 1937). 
This is another species which has been severely depleted by hunting, 
but although few investigations have been possible in recent years, its 
migrations are, by all accounts, more regular than those of any other 
species, and the migration route is apparently confined to a narrow 
coastal strip, at least on the west coast of North America. The prin- 
cipal accounts of its distribution and migrations are those of Scammon 
(1874), Andrews (1914), and Risting (1928). In summer the gray 
whales are said to congregate in the Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, and 
Sea of Okhotsk, and some at least penetrate into loose pack ice. In 
winter they migrate southward, appearing off the coasts of Oregon 
and upper California in October and November, and later assembling 
for the breeding season in the lagoons of lower California. In spring 
they move northward again, and according to Kellogg, “by April 
the gray whales have passed Monterey on their northward run.” 
Similarly, they appear off Korea about the end of November on their 
way south. According to Andrews they reappear “traveling north, 
about the middle of March, and by the 15th of May they have all 
passed by.” 
Although these descriptions are based on a comparatively small 
body of data there is no reason to doubt that they are correct, for the 
limited distribution of this species makes it relatively easy to observe 
its movements. 
